Kelsey Lydon EDC 102H Academic Influences September 20, 2011
While my teachers provided a great amount of influence throughout my high school career, the main contributor to my academic success was my father. Since day one, he has instilled in me the importance of being educated in order to craft a stable life for myself. I was always told to put in my best effort plus a little extra. His influence was the driving force behind my high GPA and stellar report cards. Whenever he felt I needed a push, he would tell me a grizzly story about his friends in high school- many of whom did not live to see thirty. Despite the fact that his stories were harsh and forboding, my father always praised me with positive feedback. He made sure to show me how hard work paid off. He wanted me to know from the beginning how important doing well in school was,cause it was not until much later in his life that he learned the same lesson.
During his high school years, my dad hated being stuck in a classroom for the majority of the day. So, he did what most students in his social circle did: he did not go to school. His attendance was poor, he had consecutive incomplete homework grades, and he was, frankly, a smart ass when he did show up. But my dad was able to get by on his smarts (and photographic memory) and graduated high school on time. After that, however, he realized what a mistake it was to waste his life in mediocrity like many of his former classmates did. After seeing several become substance abusers and one placed in a mental institution, my father was awakened to the concept that he had to take advantage of every opportunity toward a stable life. He attended college, obtained an Associate’s degree in electrical engineering, and worked for one of the top engineering companies in New England for over twenty years. Through his hard work and dedication, he became one of the highest managers in his company with only an Associate’s degree. Later, his company paid for him to earn a Bachelor’s degree at Northeastern.
My father’s journey to where he is now has inspired me so much during my academic career. He taught me not to slack off and put off my education. Because of him and the stories he has told me, I have learned to seize every opportunity that comes my way. His thirst for knowledge and desire to succeed has encouraged me to pursue a Bachelor’s degree straight out of high school and to not put anything off. Like my dad, I want to be incredibly successful, but in my own field. He never had teachers that cared to motivate him and could have made him see school in a different light. I want to take my father’s experience and use it to help students just like him. Partially because of what he’s told me, I plan on being a high school English teacher after I complete my education here at URI. Hopefully, I may influence a student the way my father has influenced me.
EDC 102H
Academic Influences
September 20, 2011
While my teachers provided a great amount of influence throughout my high school career, the main contributor to my academic success was my father. Since day one, he has instilled in me the importance of being educated in order to craft a stable life for myself. I was always told to put in my best effort plus a little extra. His influence was the driving force behind my high GPA and stellar report cards. Whenever he felt I needed a push, he would tell me a grizzly story about his friends in high school- many of whom did not live to see thirty. Despite the fact that his stories were harsh and forboding, my father always praised me with positive feedback. He made sure to show me how hard work paid off. He wanted me to know from the beginning how important doing well in school was,cause it was not until much later in his life that he learned the same lesson.
During his high school years, my dad hated being stuck in a classroom for the majority of the day. So, he did what most students in his social circle did: he did not go to school. His attendance was poor, he had consecutive incomplete homework grades, and he was, frankly, a smart ass when he did show up. But my dad was able to get by on his smarts (and photographic memory) and graduated high school on time. After that, however, he realized what a mistake it was to waste his life in mediocrity like many of his former classmates did. After seeing several become substance abusers and one placed in a mental institution, my father was awakened to the concept that he had to take advantage of every opportunity toward a stable life. He attended college, obtained an Associate’s degree in electrical engineering, and worked for one of the top engineering companies in New England for over twenty years. Through his hard work and dedication, he became one of the highest managers in his company with only an Associate’s degree. Later, his company paid for him to earn a Bachelor’s degree at Northeastern.
My father’s journey to where he is now has inspired me so much during my academic career. He taught me not to slack off and put off my education. Because of him and the stories he has told me, I have learned to seize every opportunity that comes my way. His thirst for knowledge and desire to succeed has encouraged me to pursue a Bachelor’s degree straight out of high school and to not put anything off. Like my dad, I want to be incredibly successful, but in my own field. He never had teachers that cared to motivate him and could have made him see school in a different light. I want to take my father’s experience and use it to help students just like him. Partially because of what he’s told me, I plan on being a high school English teacher after I complete my education here at URI. Hopefully, I may influence a student the way my father has influenced me.